Well I have been busy the last month or so doing all sorts of little maintenance and cleaning projects on the Monza. However, I took some time out and, as many of you know, I do some aluminum polishing (door sills come to mind) on the side. One of my best friends has a 55 Chevy that I have done a lot of work on including swapping the engine, painting and detailing the entire engine compartment, adding power rack and pinion steering, adding front power disc brakes, new clutch etc. One of his projects (well, actually mine if you get the drift) was to install a chrome front radiator support. So, got that done but he was bugging me for awhile to polish the aluminum radiator. So, since it was out to do the radiator support I finally got to it. Thought I would share a couple pics of how it is coming out. In the last one you can actually make out the license plate on the Monza.

You have a WHOLE LOT more patience than I do. Is he left the project of keeping it that way, or will he bring it back to you for touchups? I polished up the aluminum bumpers on the Cosworth when I had it, and was disappointed on how quickly they clouded up.

I think there are different types of aluminum alloys and they all react differently to the elements. I had my intake polished many, many years ago and it holds the shine perfectly, I go over it maybe once a year or so but it doesn't hardly look any different. Other pieces do seem to dull down a bit so I think it depends on what type of aluminum it is. My radiator is also polished and it holds up very well too. I am sure he is capable of doing a occasional polish once it is installed. If he doesn't I will chew him a new one for not keeping it up after all the work I put into it. ! Yes, patience is a virtue when doing this type of work, fortunately I have more time on my hands now that I am retired. Although I still don't seem to have enough time during the day and week to do everything, go figure......

cjbiagi wrote:Yes, patience is a virtue when doing this type of work, fortunately I have more time on my hands now that I am retired. Although I still don't seem to have enough time during the day and week to do everything, go figure......

That's what I've heard from recent retirees. I'm not sure I want to be busier!